Unnatural Beginnings

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The Unnatural History Museum

Author : Viktor Wynd
Publisher : National Geographic Books
ISBN 13 : 3791385194
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (913 download)

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Book Synopsis The Unnatural History Museum by : Viktor Wynd

Download or read book The Unnatural History Museum written by Viktor Wynd and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Viktor Wynd, master of the contemporary Wunderkabinett, is back with a collection of artifacts and curiosities that are more bizarre and wonderful than ever. For over a decade, from a tiny storefront in east London, the artist Viktor Wynd has been reinventing the cabinet of curiosities for the 21st century. The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & UnNatural History is now one of the city's most tantalizing tourist destinations. Wynd first introduced his worldview in the book Viktor Wynd's Cabinet of Wonders, which John Waters called "an insanely delightful how-to guide...told with lunatic humor and absolute joy." In this new volume, he takes readers on a tour inside his mildly-twisted mind, delving deeper into his philosophy of collecting, and describing personal connections to the objects he treasures. Written in his trademark charismatic style, which blends whimsical stories with odd facts and obscure references, this book is filled with lavish and theatrical photographs and drawings. Loosely organized into thematic chapters, it ponders the beauty of skulls and masks; explores beasts, freaks, monsters, fairies, and mermaids; covers magical plants, hallucinogens, erotica, and dandies; and dips into the world of the occult. This might not be a book for everyone. However, it is a book everyone interested in cabinets of curiosities should have on their shelf.

The Unnatural History of the Sea

Author : Callum Roberts
Publisher : Island Press
ISBN 13 : 1597265772
Total Pages : 649 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (972 download)

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Book Synopsis The Unnatural History of the Sea by : Callum Roberts

Download or read book The Unnatural History of the Sea written by Callum Roberts and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2009-01-05 with total page 649 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humanity can make short work of the oceans’ creatures. In 1741, hungry explorers discovered herds of Steller’s sea cow in the Bering Strait, and in less than thirty years, the amiable beast had been harpooned into extinction. It’s a classic story, but a key fact is often omitted. Bering Island was the last redoubt of a species that had been decimated by hunting and habitat loss years before the explorers set sail. As Callum M. Roberts reveals in The Unnatural History of the Sea, the oceans’ bounty didn’t disappear overnight. While today’s fishing industry is ruthlessly efficient, intense exploitation began not in the modern era, or even with the dawn of industrialization, but in the eleventh century in medieval Europe. Roberts explores this long and colorful history of commercial fishing, taking readers around the world and through the centuries to witness the transformation of the seas. Drawing on firsthand accounts of early explorers, pirates, merchants, fishers, and travelers, the book recreates the oceans of the past: waters teeming with whales, sea lions, sea otters, turtles, and giant fish. The abundance of marine life described by fifteenth century seafarers is almost unimaginable today, but Roberts both brings it alive and artfully traces its depletion. Collapsing fisheries, he shows, are simply the latest chapter in a long history of unfettered commercialization of the seas. The story does not end with an empty ocean. Instead, Roberts describes how we might restore the splendor and prosperity of the seas through smarter management of our resources and some simple restraint. From the coasts of Florida to New Zealand, marine reserves have fostered spectacular recovery of plants and animals to levels not seen in a century. They prove that history need not repeat itself: we can leave the oceans richer than we found them.

The Sixth Extinction

Author : Elizabeth Kolbert
Publisher : Henry Holt and Company
ISBN 13 : 0805099794
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (5 download)

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Book Synopsis The Sixth Extinction by : Elizabeth Kolbert

Download or read book The Sixth Extinction written by Elizabeth Kolbert and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2014-02-11 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In The Sixth Extinction, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction, including the Panamian golden frog, staghorn coral, the great auk, and the Sumatran rhino. Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

Hunger

Author : Sharman Apt Russell
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0786722398
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (867 download)

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Book Synopsis Hunger by : Sharman Apt Russell

Download or read book Hunger written by Sharman Apt Russell and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-08-01 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every day, we wake up hungry. Every day, we break our fast. Hunger explores the range of this primal experience. Sharman Apt Russell, the highly acclaimed author of Anatomy of a Rose and An Obsession with Butterflies, here takes us on a tour of hunger, from eighteen hours without food to thirty-six hours to seven days and beyond. What Russell finds-both in our bodies and in cultures around the world-is extraordinary. It is a biological process that transcends nature to shape the very of fabric of societies. In a fascinating survey of centuries of thought on hunger's unique power, she discovers an ability to adapt to it that is nothing short of miraculous. From the fasting saints of the early Christian church to activists like Mahatma Gandhi, generations have used hunger to make spiritual and political statements. Russell highlights these remarkable cases where hunger can inspire and even heal, but she also addresses the devastating impact of starvation on cultures around the world today. Written with consummate skill, a compassionate heart, and stocked with facts, figures, and fascinating lore, Hunger is an inspiring window on history and the human spirit.

On Monsters

Author : Stephen T. Asma
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199798095
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis On Monsters by : Stephen T. Asma

Download or read book On Monsters written by Stephen T. Asma and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-09 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A comprehensive modern-day bestiary."--The New Yorker

Salt Marshes

Author : Judith S Weis
Publisher : Rutgers University Press
ISBN 13 : 0813548519
Total Pages : 271 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (135 download)

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Book Synopsis Salt Marshes by : Judith S Weis

Download or read book Salt Marshes written by Judith S Weis and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2009-07-16 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tall green grass. Subtle melodies of songbirds. Sharp whines of muskrats. Rustles of water running through the grasses. And at low tide, a pungent reminder of the treasures hidden beneath the surface.All are vital signs of the great salt marshes' natural resources. Now championed as critical habitats for plants, animals, and people because of the environmental service and protection they provide, these ecological wonders were once considered unproductive wastelands, home solely to mosquitoes and toxic waste, and mistreated for centuries by the human population. Exploring the fascinating biodiversity of these boggy wetlands, Salt Marshes offers readers a wealth of essential information about a variety of plants, fish, and animals, the importance of these habitats, consequences of human neglect and thoughtless development, and insight into how these wetlands recover. Judith S. Weis and Carol A. Butler shed ample light on the human impact, including chapters on physical and biological alterations, pollution, and remediation and recovery programs. In addition to a national and global perspective, the authors place special emphasis on coastal wetlands in the Atlantic and Gulf regions, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area, calling attention to their historical and economic legacies. Written in clear, easy-to-read language, Salt Marshes proves that the battles for preservation and conservation must continue, because threats to salt marshes ebb and flow like the water that runs through them.

A Natural History of the Unnatural World

Author : Joel Levy
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis A Natural History of the Unnatural World by : Joel Levy

Download or read book A Natural History of the Unnatural World written by Joel Levy and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This imaginative guide uses first hand accounts, historical records, works of literature and art, and the imaginative insights of the scientifically trained author to detail the evolution, habits, life cycles, reproductive behaviour and specialised abilities of dozens of fabled beings.

The Natural and Unnatural History of Congenital Heart Disease

Author : Julien I. E. Hoffman
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1444360213
Total Pages : 622 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (443 download)

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Book Synopsis The Natural and Unnatural History of Congenital Heart Disease by : Julien I. E. Hoffman

Download or read book The Natural and Unnatural History of Congenital Heart Disease written by Julien I. E. Hoffman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-09-07 with total page 622 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluates the natural history of congenital heart lesions as a background to finding out if and how much treatment has improved outcomes Introduces and defines lesions, providing general information about its frequency, familial or syndromic associations, and associated congenital heart lesions Provides sections on pathological anatomy and physiology – important in determining outcomes Includes results of surgery, both in terms of survival and also in terms of event-free survival, that is, survival free of reoperation, cardiac failure, arrhythmias, and other late complications that are often seen Helps cardiologists and cardiac surgeons understand what is likely to happen to patients with or without treatment, and which forms of treatment currently in use provide the best outcomes to date

Unnatural History

Author : Robert A. Aronowitz
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 0521822491
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (218 download)

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Book Synopsis Unnatural History by : Robert A. Aronowitz

Download or read book Unnatural History written by Robert A. Aronowitz and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-10-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book traces the changing definitions and understandings of breast cancer.

Acts of God

Author : Theodore Steinberg
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780195309683
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis Acts of God by : Theodore Steinberg

Download or read book Acts of God written by Theodore Steinberg and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-07-20 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This revised edition features a new chapter analyzing the failed response to Hurricane Katrina. Steinberg argues that it is wrong to see natural disasters as random outbursts of nature or expressions of divine judgment. He reveals how business and government decisions have paved the way for the greater losses of life and property.

Unnatural Creatures

Author : Neil Gaiman
Publisher : A&C Black
ISBN 13 : 1408845458
Total Pages : 481 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (88 download)

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Book Synopsis Unnatural Creatures by : Neil Gaiman

Download or read book Unnatural Creatures written by Neil Gaiman and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-06-13 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chosen and introduced by Neil Gaiman, this thoroughly beguiling collection of short stories is inhabited by an amazing menagerie of creatures from myth, legend and dark imagination The griffin, the sunbird, manticores, unicorns – all manner of glorious creatures never captured in zoos, museums or photographs are packed vividly into this collection of stories. Neil Gaiman has included some of his own childhood favourites alongside stories classic and modern to spark the imagination of readers young and old. All contributors have given their work free to benefit Dave Eggers' literacy charity, 826DC. Includes stories by: Peter S. Beagle, Anthony Boucher, Avram Davidson, Samuel R. Delany, Neil Gaiman, Maria Dahvana Headley, Nalo Hopkinson, Diana Wynne Jones, Megan Kurashige, E. Nesbit, Larry Niven, Nnedi Okorafor, Saki, Frank R. Stockton, Gahan Wilson, E. Lily Yu.

Hats

Author : Malcolm Smith
Publisher : MSU Press
ISBN 13 : 1628953845
Total Pages : 374 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (289 download)

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Book Synopsis Hats by : Malcolm Smith

Download or read book Hats written by Malcolm Smith and published by MSU Press. This book was released on 2020-01-01 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For such simple garments, hats have had a devastating impact on wildlife throughout their long history. Made of wild-caught mammal furs, decorated with feathers or whole stuffed birds, historically they have driven many species to near extinction. By the turn of the twentieth century, egrets, shot for their exuberant white neck plumes, had been decimated; the wild ostrich, killed for its feathers until the early 1900s, was all but extirpated; and vast numbers of birds of paradise from New Guinea and hummingbirds from the Americas were just some of the other birds killed to decorate ladies’ hats. At its peak, the hat trade was estimated to be killing 200 million birds a year. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was a trade valued at £20 million (over $25 million) a year at the London feather auctions. Weight for weight, exotic feathers were more valuable than gold. Today, while no wild birds are captured for feather decoration, some wild animals are still trapped and killed for hatmaking. A fascinating read, Hats will have you questioning the history of your headwear.

The Yellow River

Author : Ruth Mostern
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300263112
Total Pages : 376 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis The Yellow River by : Ruth Mostern

Download or read book The Yellow River written by Ruth Mostern and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A three-thousand-year history of the Yellow River and the legacy of interactions between humans and the natural landscape From Neolithic times to the present day, the Yellow River and its watershed have both shaped and been shaped by human society. Using the Yellow River to illustrate the long-term effects of environmentally significant human activity, Ruth Mostern unravels the long history of the human relationship with water and soil and the consequences, at times disastrous, of ecological transformations that resulted from human decisions. As Mostern follows the Yellow River through three millennia of history, she underlines how governments consistently ignored the dynamic interrelationships of the river’s varied ecosystems—grasslands, riparian forests, wetlands, and deserts—and the ecological and cultural impacts of their policies. With an interdisciplinary approach informed by archival research and GIS (geographical information system) records, this groundbreaking volume provides unique insight into patterns, transformations, and devastating ruptures throughout ecological history and offers profound conclusions about the way we continue to affect the natural systems upon which we depend.

An Unnatural History of Emerging Infections

Author : Ron Barrett
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191507156
Total Pages : 213 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (915 download)

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Book Synopsis An Unnatural History of Emerging Infections by : Ron Barrett

Download or read book An Unnatural History of Emerging Infections written by Ron Barrett and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-09-19 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book traces the social and environmental determinants of human infectious diseases from the Neolithic to the present day. Despite recent high profile discoveries of new pathogens, the major determinants of these emerging infections are ancient and recurring. These include changing modes of subsistence, shifting populations, environmental disruptions, and social inequalities. The recent labeling of the term "re-emerging infections" reflects a re-emergence, not so much of the diseases themselves, but rather a re-emerging awareness in affluent societies of long-standing problems that were previously ignored. An Unnatural History of Emerging Infections illustrates these recurring problems and determinants through an examination of three major epidemiological transitions. The First Transition occurred with the Agricultural Revolution beginning 10,000 years ago, bringing a rise in acute infections as the main cause of human mortality. The Second Transition first began with the Industrial Revolution; it saw a decline in infectious disease mortality and an increase in chronic diseases among wealthier nations, but less so in poorer societies. These culminated in today's "worst of both worlds syndrome" in which globalization has combined with the challenges of the First and Second Transitions to produce a Third Transition, characterized by a confluence of acute and chronic disease patterns within a single global disease ecology. This accessible text is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate level students and researchers in the fields of epidemiology, disease ecology, anthropology, health sciences, and the history of medicine. It will also be of relevance and use to undergraduate students interested in the history and social dynamics of infectious diseases.

An Unnatural History of Religions

Author : Leonardo Ambasciano
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1350062405
Total Pages : 277 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (5 download)

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Book Synopsis An Unnatural History of Religions by : Leonardo Ambasciano

Download or read book An Unnatural History of Religions written by Leonardo Ambasciano and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-12-27 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Unnatural History of Religions examines the origins, development, and critical issues concerning the history of religion and its relationship with science. The book explores the ideological biases, logical fallacies, and unwarranted beliefs that surround the scientific foundations (or lack thereof) in the academic discipline of the history of religions, positioning them in today's 'post-truth' culture. Leonardo Ambasciano provides the necessary critical background to evaluate the most important theories and working concepts dedicated to the explanation of the historical developments of religion. He covers the most important topics and paradigm shifts in the field, such as phenomenology, postmodernism, and cognitive science. These are taken into consideration chronologically, each time with case studies on topics such as shamanism, gender biases, ethnocentrism, and biological evolution. Ambasciano argues that the roots of post-truth may be deep in human biases, but that historical justifications change each time, resulting in different combinations. The surprising rise of once-fringe beliefs, such as conspiracy theories, pseudoscientific claims, and so-called scientific creationism, demonstrates the alarming influence that post-truth ideas may exert on both politics and society. Recognising them before they spread anew may be the first step towards a scientifically renewed study of religion.

Breasts

Author : Florence Williams
Publisher : Text Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1921922648
Total Pages : 351 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (219 download)

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Book Synopsis Breasts by : Florence Williams

Download or read book Breasts written by Florence Williams and published by Text Publishing. This book was released on 2012-05-23 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Feted and fetishised, the breast is an evolutionary masterpiece. But in the modern world, the breast is changing. Breasts are getting bigger, developing earlier and attracting newfangled chemicals. Increasingly, the odds are stacked against us in the struggle against breast cancer—even among men. So what makes breasts so mercurial—and so vulnerable? As part of the research for this book, science journalist Florence Williams underwent tests on her own breasts and breast milk. She was shocked to learn that she was feeding her baby not just milk but also fire retardants and a whole host of other chemicals, all ingested throughout her life and stored in her breast tissue. At its heart, Breasts: a natural and unnatural history is the story of how our breasts went from being honed by the environment to being harmed by it; a revealing and at times alarming look at the way the changes in our environments, diets and lifestyles have altered our breasts, our health and, ultimately, the health of future generations. Accessible and entertaining—part biology, part anthropology and part medical journalism—Breasts is a wake-up call for all women.

The Mill Creek

Author : Stanley Hedeen
Publisher : Blue Heron Press
ISBN 13 : 9780964343603
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (436 download)

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Book Synopsis The Mill Creek by : Stanley Hedeen

Download or read book The Mill Creek written by Stanley Hedeen and published by Blue Heron Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flowing through the heart of Cincinnati to the Ohio River, the Mill Creek is one of the most severely polluted & physically degraded urban streams in the United States. The book is a valuable case study on how human activity & land use impact water resources over time. It chronicles the stream's environmental history, beginning with a description of the creek's geological past & its pristine ecosystem in the early 1700s. The author examines the environmental impacts of forest clearcutting by early settlers, of industrialization & of channelization of the creek by the Army Corps of Engineers. The book ends with a summary of present day environmental problems & outlines a restoration strategy for repairing the damage. "This book will become the foundation for restoration work ahead & provides a model for people working to reclaim other streams in cities in crisis across the United States," said Paul Labovitz, Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program, National Park Service. "This volume will be useful to students in a variety of disciplines, including history, environmental & urban history, political science, regional & city planning, biology & to general readers concerned with environmental issues," said Zane L. Miller, Professor of History & Director, Center for Neighborhood & Community Studies, University of Cincinnati. Order from RUMCRP, Two Centennial Plaza #610, 805 Central Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45202; (513) 352-1588.